Answer Genie

Setting up a free Gmail account is a quick, easy process that takes little time to complete. Below are the step-by-step instructions you'll need to create an account and start using Gmail in no time.

• Visit Create your Google Account for Gmail.
• Enter your first and last name in the Name section.
• Type your desired username under Choose your username.

Your Gmail email address will be your username followed by "@gmail.com." If your Gmail username is "example," for instance, your Gmail address is "[email protected]."

• Enter a password for your Gmail account under both Create a password and Confirm your password. Pick an email password that is difficult to guess.

For enhanced security, you should later enable two-factor authentication for your Gmail account.

• Click Next.
• You are asked to verify your phone number. You can skip this step if you prefer.
• Enter your mobile phone number and an alternate email address for account verification and authorization. Google uses this information to protect your privacy and to allow you to recover a lost password.
• Enter your birth date and gender in the fields provided.
• Click Next.
• Read and the Privacy and Terms and then click I Agree to continue.

If you do not agree to the privacy and terms, you will not be able to continue creating a Gmail account.

• That's it. You're done. Once you click I Agree you're taken to the My Account page for the email address you just created. From there, you can sign into your account, manage your personal information, and set your account preferences.

Note: you must be at least 13 years old to create a Facebook account.
To create a Facebook account:

• Go to www.facebook.com/r.php
• Enter your name, email or mobile phone number, password, date of birth and gender.
• Click Sign Up.
• To finish creating your account, you need to confirm your email or mobile phone number.

• Open a bank account if you don’t have one already. If you already have a bank account, you can skip this step. In order to use online banking, you’ll need a bank account to access and manage online. Go to a local branch of your preferred bank and open a checking or savings account to get started.
• Set up your online account. Once you have an account with a bank, you will be able to go onto their website and enable online access to your accounts. You will need some kind of identification that is associated with your account, such as a Social Security number, Federal ID number, driver’s license number, birth date, and/or account number. Follow the online instructions for opening an account and gather the information you will need to proceed.

You will likely need your account number in order to set up an online account, so have that handy. A banker or teller at your bank should be able to provide you with this number if you don’t have it, so call your bank or visit a branch to get it.

On the homepage of your bank’s website, look for an option to “Enroll,” “sign up,” or “open an online account.”

Call or visit the bank and ask a banker for help if you have trouble setting up your online account. Most banks will have a toll-free 800-number available for customer service that you can call if you need help

• Choose a secure username and password. Follow the online portal’s requirements for the username and password. For extra safety, include special characters, numbers, and upper and lowercase letters in your password. If you fear you’ll have trouble remembering it, write it down and keep it in a secure place. Select a username you don’t already use for another account. If you’re using your name, consider adding numbers to make it more unique.
  Avoid using the same password for multiple accounts. Also, avoid using birthdates, social security numbers, and other identifiable information in your passwords or usernames.
• Set up your contact information. As part of the sign-up process, you will likely be asked for your contact information. Match this to the information your bank already has on file. You will be able to use this online portal to change your contact and billing information in the future, and it’s important you always know what address the bank has on file for you, as certain transactions with your bank card might require a billing zip code for verification.

Phishing is a scam used by identity thieves to trick you into providing your sensitive personal or financial information. Thieves use official-looking emails to impersonate trusted entities like banks, credit card companies, and online resources like eBay or PayPal. These emails are used to lure unsuspecting consumers to a particular website through a link where they will be asked to enter their information. According to a study done in 2006, approximately 109 million people received a phishing email of some sort in that year.

Steps to avoid Phishing Scams:
Protect your Personal Information:

• To protect yourself from falling victim to a phishing scam, it's important to be very cautious with your personal information including your usernames and passwords.
• Some phishing scams divert you to a fraudulent website designed to look like your bank's website or a similar trusted source.
• When you enter your username/password and other information, that information is transmitted to the con artist, who can abuse it later on.

Beware of Suspicious Emails and Do not Click Suspicious Links:

• Be very suspicious of any emails you receive from trusted entities like your bank.
• If the email contains a link, don't click on it.
• Deceptive links that mimic legitimate URL addresses are a common tools con artists use in phishing scams.
• While these addresses may look official, they usually contain inconspicuous differences that redirect you to a fraudulent site.
• Instead of clicking on the link, type in the web address of the institution into the browser to access the website.

Know the Common Phishing Language:

• Look out for common phishing language in emails like "Verify your account."
• Legitimate businesses will not send you an email to ask for your login information or sensitive personal information.
• Also, look out for emails that try to convey a sense of urgency.
• Warnings that your account has been compromised, for example, are a common way to lure victims. Again, contact the company directly to inquire about such emails rather than using any link or other contact information provided in the email.
• Finally, be wary of any email that does not address you directly.
• While some phishing scams will use your name in the email, many are sent out as spam messages to thousands at a time.
• Most legitimate businesses will use your first and/or last name in all communication.

Count on authenticated websites:

• If you visit a website with a padlock, click on the padlock.
• It should show you the name of the organization that applied for the padlock. If the name does not match the name you know, be very suspicious.
• It's good practice to look at all the emails and websites suspiciously. Getting sucked into a phishing scam can cost you thousands of dollars and a good amount of your valuable time. An ounce of prevention now can save a pound of cure later.

  I certainly understand your frustration over the missing optical drives, but there are several reasons why they are being left out of new laptops these days:

• Most music, movies and computer software is being delivered to the consumer over the Internet instead of on discs these days, making optical drives completely unnecessary for younger consumers who don’t own a library of optical media.
• Inexpensive USB hard drives and online backup services make it easy and convenient to back up our computers without having to deal with a stack of blank optical discs.
• Cloud storage and cloud backup services make sharing photos and other files with our friends a lot faster and easier than having to burn them onto a disc.

Local backups (which I strongly recommend to augment your cloud-based backups) can be created using external USB hard drives.

• Leaving out the optical drive lets the manufacturers build laptops that are smaller, lighter and less expensive than they would have to be if the drive was included..

Luckily, an external USB optical drive can be purchased for as little as $15 for those of us that still use optical discs on occasion.